The art, the greatness of the music, the experience of the music is what I'm about. I think most African artists have destroyed their artistry by commercialization, and I don't want to belong to that bag.
I've suffered quite a lot, to the point where I've experienced death. Years before I wasn't fit to die, but I understand life better now. Death is nice, death is beauty.
Without Tony Allen, there would have been no Afrobeat.
Our prisons are very bad. When I was in Ikoyi prison, people were dying every day. They were carrying bodies out of the prison every day.
Art itself is knowledge of the spiritual world. Art is information from higher forces, by those who are talented. I'm not jiving.
America needs to hear some good sounds from Africa, man. The sanity of the world is going to be generated from Africa through art.
I've studied my culture deeply and I'm very aware of my tradition.
No, I didn't hear about 'Live Aid.' I was in prison, and we were not allowed newspapers in prison.
My message was 'Think African. Make schools read African history.'
Western music is Bach, Handel and Schubert. It's good music, cleverly done. As a musician, I can see that.
An African man should not do anything called housework or cooking.
Jazz was the beginning of rhythm music, which developed into rock and roll. But what the jazz musicians lost because they were so far from their homeland was the intricate rhythms of African music.
If a female wants to do a man's job, no one will stop her from doing it, but women have duties to perform as mothers.
When I do things, I do things honestly.
I think I'm going to lead my people one day. I'm sure of it.
Being African didn't mean anything to me until later in my life.
My country will be a symbol of free human society.
I'm playing deep African music.
Classical music gives musicians a kick. But African music gives everyone a kick.
People thought I was trying to say that women had no say, no rights. I was not saying that. I was saying that women had a role, a duty. When they want to have a say in government - though in Africa they are not expected to do that - they are not discouraged. They can do what they want to do.
